In the Arms of the Beast

by K. A. Merikan

  All the boys froze, only to burst into laughter when Laurent scrambled to his knees with a mop of damp hair sticking to his face.

  Beast tried very hard not to laugh.

  He managed.

  “Are you okay?”

  Laurent was gasping for air and looked like he was about to unleash some mayhem. “No, I’m not okay! I’m soaked! Come over here!” he yelled to Dexter. “I’ve warned you so many times!”

  The smile was instantly wiped off the boy’s face, and he stayed away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to fall.”

  Beast cleared his throat. “Maybe remember this moment next time you do something that’s not nice,” he said, pulling Laurent away from the ocean.

  Laurent groaned. “I’ll catch pneumonia walking around like this.”

  Out of nowhere, Marcel erupted in tears. “I was telling him to stop pushing Jasper, papa.”

  Just great, more animosity. And as much as Beast loved Marcel, nobody liked a snitch.

  “We should dry you first,” Beast said, twisting some of Laurent’s hair and squeezing the icy water out of the strands.

  Laurent entwined his fingers with Beast. “Maybe we should ask Malachite to watch the kids for an hour? He is already here… I’ll need to strip all these wet clothes somewhere private.”

  Beast’s heart started beating that bit faster. He didn’t even hesitate and whistled to get Malachite’s attention before making a broad gesture to invite him closer. Stripping Laurent was an activity he’d love to indulge in the great outdoors. “For my birthday, I want an adults-only weekend with you, by the way,” he said, already toying with Laurent’s shirt button.

  Laurent stood on his toes to kiss Beast, and the cold soaking through their clothes immediately seemed warmer.

  Epilogue 4 – Gray & Shadow

  “Why are they stopping?” Shadow whispered straight into Gray’s ear. For this particular ‘mission’, he not only covered both their bodies with his shadow form, but also encompassed the motorcycle they sat on, muting its sound. They did this during the stealthiest of missions, and the risk of having Shadow’s limp body attached to Gray on the motorcycle was only worth it if the job came with the prospect of large profit.

  Usually at least.

  Tonight, they were doing it to make sure a bunch of rowdy teenagers arrived at their destination in one piece.

  Gray had no idea how to answer Shadow’s question, because they’d barely driven out of Brecon, but the reason for the unauthorized parking on the side of the road became clear when the little shits swapped drivers. Beast had allowed his sons to go to the gig in Portland if Marcel was the one behind the wheel. Sixteen, first outing of this kind on their own, and they were already messing around. Gray shook his head, and added this transgression to the list of things he’d report back to Beast, along with the addendum that he wouldn’t be doing this again.

  The club wasn’t doing all that great financially, and it would have been more beneficial for everyone if he and Shadow spent the weekend planning another heist, since those were among the MC’s most lucrative ventures these days. He’d only agreed this one time, because he knew Beast and Laurent would have followed the boys themselves, had they the talents Shadow possessed.

  What Beast would do with the intel they were about to gather would be his own business. Gray’s was to ensure the boys returned home safe and didn’t take drugs. He rolled his eyes when the minibus dashed forward and made a turn at a speed that was far too fast for an old road in the woods. Gray followed them, sensing the dead weight of Shadow’s body strapped to his back. It wasn’t his favorite way to travel, but at least he still had his man with him. In both of his forms.

  As younger kids, the boys had been pretty cute, but they’d grown up to be a pack of hyenas out on the prowl for mayhem. Only Marcel had no issues at school, but Gray was positive he was no saint either. He could smell the falseness of the good boy facade from a mile away. Gray was glad he and Shadow didn’t live in the club building anymore, because the buzzing hormones and awkward teenage posturing would have made him lose his shit at some point.

  There was also the issue of secrecy, because the Mercier brothers were kept in the dark about their real background and were ignorant to the fact that some of their ‘uncles’ had paranormal powers. Taking into account most of the boys were teenage loose cannons, Gray approved of that choice, in hindsight.

  Gray didn’t have much patience for kids, and Shadow couldn’t live in constant worry over having to restrict his instincts, so in a bid to give themselves more freedom, they had built a little cottage in the club-owned forest years ago, following Rev’s passing.

  Shadow had done most of the heavy lifting in that endeavour, but their friends helped out too, and finally getting to live in a place they’d designed to suit their own needs was bliss. It was cozy, small, but their own. Shadow even insisted on planning everything with Gray’s disability in mind, since they couldn’t be together all the time, and whenever Shadow was too far away, Gray’s arm disappeared.

  Dexter hadn’t passed his driving test yet, and seeing the chaotic way in which he handled the minibus, told Gray why he’d failed all the previous attempts. He wished for the boys to get caught. Maybe arrest would teach them a lesson on committing crime responsibly. And what was the point of endangering everyone, anyway? If Dexter wanted to break his legs, he was welcome to do so on his own.

  But the night proved to hold even more surprises when instead of following the road heading for Portland, the boys drove into a suburban area.

  Shadow hugged Gray more tightly, like immaterial warmth. “I don’t think they’re going in the right direction.”

  That much Gray knew himself. He just hoped he wouldn’t have to intervene, because becoming enemy no.1 of a bunch of teens was not on his bucket list.

  The minibus drove all the way to a street with several homes, and a figure emerged from one before it had even parked.

  A teenage boy with an odd haircut approached the vehicle, and Louis burst outside, jumping the guy. They kissed like they wanted to suck out each other’s insides.

  Should Gray tell Beast about this? It wasn’t as if the guy who entered the minibus while still holding on to Louis’s buttocks was an adult trying to prey on young boys. Gray wasn’t their chaperone.

  Driving on a highway while staying invisible was always stressful, so Gray was glad to park by the concert venue and have that part of the job over with. The hot presence Shadow obscured had him with slid off like sweet-scented balm, and the body attached to Gray finally stirred to life.

  Shadow stretched with a groan. “I’m so stiff.”

  Gray smiled at him and squeezed his lover’s hand, which remained unnaturally cold after the ride. “Maybe I can help you relax later,” he said, and unstrapped them.

  Shadow grinned with a predatory glint in his eyes when he hugged Gray tight and picked him up. Feeling his strength never got old. After so many years, Shadow had matured and wasn’t as wide-eyed about everything anymore, but he’d never lost that strand of sweetness Gray loved so much.

  “Never heard a more tempting offer.”

  Gray was still enchanted by their closeness, but the job needed to be done, so he knocked on Shadow’s forehead. “Pleasure later. Let’s see them inside.”

  Shadow gave Gray a kiss before putting him down. “You were the one teasing.” He stepped aside, because it would be much harder to blend into the crowd if they were too openly affectionate.

  Gray used to be uncomfortable with PDA, but the kind of symbiotic relationship he and Shadow had made it impossible to hold back sometimes. Whenever he looked back at his past lovers, he was struck with the emptiness hidden behind the facade of short-lived love, but in Shadow he found a true companion. Someone who would never leave and felt as much a part of Gray’s life as his own limbs.

  “Sorry. You’re too tempting,” Gray said before following the stream of people gravitating toward the club. At forty-two, he no l
onger blended in with the young crowd as easily, but his slim figure and modern clothes did the trick. He didn’t have to be stealthy, because the Mercier brothers made so much noise they seemed unaware that there were other people around them.

  It was dark inside the venue too, which made Gray’s confidence grow, and he squeezed Shadow’s hand as they hid behind a pillar and watched the boys crowd the bar counter on the other side of the room. Loud music already blared from speakers, but the venue wasn’t yet full, and the staff were adjusting cables on the stage.

  Gray ran his hand down his face when Louis started making out with the guy they’d picked up on the way, drawing so much attention Dexter yelled at someone for staring at his brother.

  This would be a long night.

  Shadow poked Gray’s side and pointed to the other side of the room with his head. “Isn’t Jasper too old for a nanny?”

  Gray knew what he’d see even before he spotted Malachite creepily watching the boys from behind another metal pillar. If he kept that up, some young lady would report him. “None of them is too old for a nanny, considering that we’re here too,” he said and chose Malachite’s phone number.

  The guy picked it up and answered in his strange, raspy voice. “Yes?”

  Gray rolled his eyes. “To your left. We see you.”

  Malachite exhaled. “What are you doing here?”

  “What are you doing here?”

  Malachite walked their way. “Sick Sisters are playing tonight.”

  Shadow sniggered. “Sure, that’s what brought you here.”

  When Malachite squeezed behind their pillar, Gray turned off his phone. “Let’s make this mutually beneficial. You stay and creep on the kids and we can go away for a few hours. Text us when they leave.”

  Malachite crooked his head. “How is that mutually beneficial?”

  “We don’t tell Jasper you’re here,” Gray said with a slight smile.

  Malachite’s shoulders hunched. “I understand.”

  But there were only so many places one creepy man could be at once, so when

  Gray spotted Marcel gravitating toward the exit, away from his brothers, he pulled Shadow with him.

  They followed the straying lamb. Gray imagined Marcel wanting to go back on the minibus to read a book, but no, the sneaky little snake in the grass turned the corner once outside and walked into a tiny alleyway. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it, leaning against the wall of the club. Naughty naughty.

  Gray wondered how the little bastard kept the smell out of his long hair, especially since Laurent would have noticed. Unable to get any closer without once again leaving Shadow’s body limp, they ended up climbing to the roof of the low building and moved to wait out this dumb situation.

  But when Gray had been ready to write the whole thing off as a smoke break, a man entered the alleyway, dressed in a weird top featuring a pink tiger and a cap that cast a shadow on his face.

  “You Lee?” he asked, setting off alarms in Gray’s head. Marcel, the good boy, was hooking up with strangers in a back alley? That was new.

  Marcel threw away the cigarette and stepped away from the wall. “That’s me.”

  The stranger stood so close to Marcel the tips of their shoes were almost touching, but when Marcel pulled money out of his pocket, Gray barely kept from screaming out in frustration. Marcel. Of course. Did he need cocaine to stay up with his books that bit longer?

  The dealer took the cash and stepped away. “Wait here,” he said and stuffed his hands down his pockets, heading toward the parking lot.

  Hell no.

  Gray didn’t even need to ask Shadow to come with him. They both moved at the same time. Gray climbed down the drainpipe, Shadow jumped off, and they followed the dealer down the dark street like two hungry wolves. So maybe Gray was no fan of annoying brats, but they were all family in a sense.

  The guy’s car was parked in an unlit street just off the parking lot, which would make their job easier. When Shadow’s form gave a strange rustling sound in preparation for attack, Gray stopped him with a gesture. “I might be a bit older than when we met, but I still got it.”

  Shadow snorted and shamelessly squeezed Gray’s ass. “Go on then,” he rasped, hungry for bloodshed.

  Gray had worn his favorite shoes tonight. Soft to the point of being uncomfortable sometimes, they made little to no sound, and he approached the dealer so silently the guy only noticed him when pulling back from inside the car. Metal flashed in his hand, but Gray grabbed him on either side of the wrist and twisted.

  The gun fell to the floor of the vehicle, but the dealer tried to stalk away, hugging the broken joint to his chest. Gray kicked him in the chest so hard the bastard slid to the pavement, staring up with wide eyes.

  Gray knew he wasn’t the type of man who commanded fear and respect, but it was for the better. “You should rethink your career choices.”

  The guy held his wrist close to his chest. “You’re not gonna be so tough when you hear from my crew,” he said through clenched teeth.

  Gray chuckled. Wow. That again. “You’re not going to be so tough either when you hear from Lee’s father and his crew. Consider this your final warning. You try something, and we’ll exterminate all of you rats.”

  Cogs must have moved in that empty head. The dealer nodded, and got into his car with his tail between his legs. He drove off with a squeak of wheels against the asphalt.

  Hopefully losing his money to some shitbag would teach Marcel a lesson.

  Gray was about to turn around when warm arms pulled him against his man’s firm chest.

  “Love seeing you work,” Shadow whispered into his ear.

  The end

  Afterword

  What a journey! Thank you for reading the KINGS OF HELL MC series. We hope you enjoyed all the twists and turns. We can now reveal that despite the Kings of Hell MC series being finished, the story will continue in a spin-off series called:

  SEVEN DEADLY SONS

  As you’ve seen in the epilogues, the Mercier boys are growing up to be wild, rowdy, and a whole lot of trouble. Unlike the Kings of Hell MC, the Seven Deadly Sons series will consist of standalone stories, each full of dark magic, passionate, tumultuous relationships, and biker mayhem.

  Each son is tainted by one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Can you already tell from the epilogues which is which?

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  Thank you for reading In the Arms of the Beast. If you enjoyed your time with our story, we would really appreciate it if you took a few minutes to leave a review on your favorite platform. It is especially important for us as self-publishing authors, who don’t have the backing of an established press.

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  Kat&Agnes AKA K.A. Merikan

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  About the author

  K.A. Merikan are a team of writers who try not to suck at adulting, with some success. Always eager to explore the murky waters of the weird and wonderful, K.A. Merikan don’t follow fixed formulas and want each of their books to be a surprise for those who choose to hop on for the ride.

  K.A. Merikan have a few sweeter M/M romances as well, but they specialize in the dark, dirty, and dangerous side of M/M, full of bikers, bad boys, mafiosi, and scorching hot romance.

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  Other books by K.A. Merikan

  Guns n’ Boys (single-couple series)

  Road of No Return

  The Devil’s Ride

  No Matter What

  Red Hot

  One Step Too Close

  His Favorite Color is Blood

  Heart Ripper

  Diary of a Teenage Taxidermist

  Bare-Knuckle Love

  Mr. Jaguar

  The Cattery

  Werewolves of Chernobyl (written with L.A. Witt)

  Break My Shell

  Special Needs

  The Copper Horse (single-couple trilogy)

  Stung

  Scavengers (single-couple series)